How Was I To Know?
by SHRevolutionary
Summary: Dill and Scout pester Atticus and Maudie about love until tragedy strikes. Please read! To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus/Maudie, slight Scout/Dill and slight Jem/OC. Please review! Anonymous reviews accepted! Give me your opinions and ideas!
1. Atticus: Sneaking Out

**This is my first fanfiction, so please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own To Kill A Mockingbird or any of the characters or places mentioned. But I do love Atticus.**

Atticus Finch

I looked out my window at the house across the street. It was about an hour after midnight. I laughed when I saw that the top light was on. Maudie Atkinson was rarely up late. She always told me that she didn't stay up late because she had to be awake and alive to water her flowers. I never knew why she had to water them at six in the morning, but I never had the time to ask her about it. I was walking over, just to say hello and all of that. I was almost out the door when Scout caught up with me.

"Jean Louise Finch! Go to bed! It is way too late to be up and about. Now, go to bed!" Despite her being out of bed at this hour, I couldn't bring myself to yell at her. I swooped down and ruffled her hair, making her smile. I was just about to make her fall asleep when she asked me a question.

"Atticus? Why were you sneaking out past midnight?"

"Well, Scout, why were you awake?" was my brilliant answer. I thought I was finished when her little voice piped up again.

"Were you sneaking out to see somebody like in the stories?" I laughed.

"Of course not, child. Who would I be sneaking out to see? And why would I sneak out?"

"Well, you would leave because you're in love. Like the stories say." I pushed my glasses up on my nose. Was I in love? I was pretty sure that I wasn't. I mean, who could I love? Cal? No, she was my hired help. That would be strange. We probably wouldn't get along. What other unmarried women lived in town? Rachel was too overbearing. Stephanie….Well, everybody knows she flirts or sleeps with every dishonest man in Maycomb and never shuts her mouth. Who else could there be?

"Who would I love in Maycomb County?" I said this, forgetting how creative Scout could be.

"Well, Miss Maudie, of course." I tensed. Maudie? Love? Well, I guess I might be possibly able to love her a little bit, but that would just be too darn awkward. We had been friends for years! That's crazy. I suddenly had a vision of her and I getting married, having a child, her being Mrs. Atticus Finch…No. That would be just too awkward. A voice in my head was asking me, "Do you really think so? Would it really be that bad?" I turned that insane idea away. Absolutely not.

"Well, that probably will not happen. We're best friends! That would be like you and Dill Harris getting married or falling in love! It would be awkward, wouldn't it?" I expected this to be the end of it, but she made sure that it wasn't over.

"No! It would be wonderful! He already said he wants to marry me!" Well, how was I supposed to react to this? My little girl, six years old, getting married! That is even crazier than my previous idea!

"Good night, Scout."

"G'night, Atticus." I left her room. Well, that was awkward. Didn't see that coming. Alright. I guess I'll just go work on my novel. I'm writing a book on daily life in Maycomb County. It isn't that difficult, but it will be awkward if the citizens found it and read it. Anyway, I sat down and picked up my pen, but I just couldn't think straight. Before I knew it, I was asleep at my desk.


	2. Maudie: A Midnight Visitor

Maudie Atkinson

I was up really late. I'm never up this late because my flowers need me to water them at exactly six in the morning. Well, I always told everybody that. I never told anybody, but there might be another reason that I like to go out that early. You see, that is when a certain lawyer with glasses goes to work in the morning. I just can't help it. Atticus Finch is really cute, modest, and intelligent. I would never tell him, but I might be in love with my best friend. He would never love me back, that would be crazy! I mean, he would probably turn his brilliant blue gray eyes toward me and laugh, thinking I'm joking. Anyway, he's too busy to have a lover or wife with Scout and Jem to deal with. While I was lost in thought, Mr. Dill Harris appeared at my front door. I was really confused. Did Rachel know he was here?

"Hi, Miss Maudie!" He said happily.

"Well, hello, Dill. Does Miss Rachel know you're here?" Was my response.

"Of course! She said I could come and give you this cake that I made." He looked so excited, I just couldn't say no. I invited him into my house. He opened up the cake and we each took a piece. Then, he started talking. From here on, it got really awkward.

"Miss Maudie? Have you ever been in love?" Me? Love? Absolutely not.

"No. Who would I love?" Who was there? Boo-I mean Arthur Radley? He was never outside. Nathan Radley? He was just odd. Avery and Heck Tate were annoying, and don't even get me started on Bob Ewell. His stupid children mess up my flowers all the time.

"Well, Atticus, of course. Who else?" Atticus Finch! I nearly spit out my cake. I might love Atticus, but I could not tell anybody ever, especially this little boy that would twist it into a new story, and soon enough Stephanie Crawford would be telling people that Atticus and I slept together or something crazy like that. No, I couldn't tell Dill that I loved Atticus.

"What would make you think that?" I asked him. I really wanted to know why.

"Well, Scout says that she thinks Atticus has to love you because you're both old and you're best friends like Scout and me. You have to be in love with each other, Miss Maudie." Well, that was interesting logic, even for Dill Harris.

"Well, are you and Scout in love? You two are best friends."

"Of course we are, Miss Maudie. We're gonna get married when we grow up. We don't want to just sit back and quietly love each other like you and Atticus." Well, that backfired a little bit. I told him to go home, Rachel was calling him, and he left. Maybe I should tell Atticus how I feel. Well, it would be awkward, but how else would I know if he loves me? But, on the other hand, what if he doesn't like me that way? What would he think? Why does life in such a small town have to be so complicated? I sighed. This was going to be a long night alone with my flowers. I looked out my window and across the street. Atticus was at his desk, asleep. I laughed. He does that all of the time now. I just wish I were there with him. I fell asleep at the window sill.


	3. Atticus: Scout and Dill's Plan

Atticus Finch

When I woke up, I was at my desk and my shirt and vest were terribly wrinkled. Also, I had this overwhelming urge to take a walk and see who else was awake. It was only four in the morning, but I felt like somebody must be awake. I slowly, silently walked down the stairs and to the door. Before walking outside, I smoothed down my vest and asked myself why I really wanted to go. The voice in my head said that I wanted to go because I wanted to see if Maudie was awake, but I knew that could never be true. I think. I convinced myself that I just wanted to get some exercise. It had been a hard week at work, and I hadn't gotten much fresh air lately. Sure, that was it. Well, if Maudie was awake, I might drop in to talk for a little while. "Maybe she likes you too!" said that stupid little voice. Boy, was that voice annoying! Even if it might have been a little right. Maybe. I went upstairs to check on Scout one last time. She was sound asleep. With Dill Harris. Well, wasn't that a surprise. What was I supposed to do? I stood there for a while, and then decided what to do. I was going to wake them up. I silently walked over to Scout's bed, waited for a second, and shook Dill awake. He woke up and looked at me like I was crazy.

"What are you doing here?" He asked me. He asked me what I was doing in my daughter's room. Like he had any more right to be there than I did. I laughed.

"This is my daughter. What on Earth are you doing here?"

"This is the girl that's gonna be my wife."

"Does Rachel know you're here?"

"Yeah. I told her I'd be here."

"Are you sure?" Even with little kids, I'm a good investigator.

"Well, I might have told her that I'd be at Miss Maudie's."

"WHAT?"

"Ha-ha. Maybe."

"Well, does Maudie know you're here?"

"Uh, not really. She thinks I went back to Aunt Rachel's house."

"Oh my goodness. "

"What's wrong, Atticus?"

"I've got to go tell Maudie before Rachel murders us all!"

"G'bye, Atticus!" Oh great. Scout had woken up. One more problem to deal with. I ran out of the room as fast as I could, but I dropped my wallet and had to bend down to pick it up. As I bent down to pick it up, I heard Dill and Scout whispering to each other. I walked towards their door-I mean, her door- and stood in the hallway. At first, I couldn't hear them, but as I stepped closer, I heard that they were talking about love. Intrigued, I stepped closer and heard them talking about Maudie and I. I sighed. Again with the love thing! That's crazy! They should know that we will never, as far as I know, be in love with each other. Maybe. Never. I hate that little voice. I heard one last thing before I left to go to Maudie's.

"Alright. We got 'em. He's gone to Miss Maudie's." Dill said.

"You got the camera ready when you went over?" Scout asked him.

"Yup. I did!" He answered.

"Good. We've got 'em this time! They'll finally realize they're love for each other! Hey, maybe they'll have a baby! I've always wanted a baby." She replied. In spite of myself, I started laughing. This would be good. I wonder if Maudie knew what was coming. Well, I was about to find out.


	4. Author's Note

**The next three chapters are going to be really short, but I had to switch POV a couple of times and I didn't want to confuse anybody. Stick with me! They will get longer! Sorry! - Jen Crocker**


	5. Maudie: Accident

Maudie Atkinson

I woke up from my makeshift bed at my windowsill and looked out into the street. What I saw confused me a little bit. Atticus Finch was outside. Jem and Scout must have been asleep. He was walking across the street, but he was doing so in an extremely odd fashion. He would take a few steps towards my house, stop, smooth down his vest, look at his house, and continue walking. I thought he might be waiting for somebody, so I went downstairs to see what was going on. Just as I got downstairs, a strange occurrence began. A car was zooming down our street. Right at my beloved neighbor and best friend. I did the only thing I could think of doing, which may sound pretty cliché, but hey, I had to do something!

"Atticus! Look out!" I yelled, but he had dropped his glasses and wasn't paying attention to me and my warning. With no other choice but to watch him get hit, I ran into the street and pushed him out of the way. It was harder than I thought it would be. He was reluctant to move, so I had to shove him to the side of the road. I felt something large slam into my side, and I fell on the side next to Atticus. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Atticus lying on the side of the road and Stephanie Crawford calling for a doctor. Darn it. I don't want to know what she's thinking with Atticus and I lying on the road, both nearly unconscious. Atticus's hand closed around mine as we both fell into another state of consciousness.


	6. Atticus: What Happened?

Atticus Finch

I was on my way over to Maudie's house when I dropped my glasses. As I bent down to pick them up, I vaguely heard Maudie's voice shouting to me. Next thing I knew, Maudie flew into me and I crashed into the curb. I tried to look up to see what had happened, but I could barely move. Then I saw it. An automobile was careening down our street. Maudie tried to jump out of the way, but it crashed right into her side and she hit the street right next to me. I glanced over and saw that she had at least one broken rib and she could barely breathe. I myself had only sliced up my back from hitting the road. Stephanie Crawford ran over to us, did a quick examination of the situation, and called for emergency medical help. I was really worried about what she was thinking of at the moment and what we would have to hear about it. Maudie's breathing slowed, and I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She smiled, and we both passed out.


	7. Stephanie: Dirty Secrets

Stephanie Crawford

Ha-ha! Isn't this a story to tell the neighbors? The great and noble Atticus Finch was lying at the side of the road with Miss Maudie Atkinson. This could turn out to be one of the biggest stories on this side of Maycomb! Stories really get around in these parts, and I'm sure Atticus's sister Alexandra would love to hear about what her brother is doing these days. I really haven't seen her in a while, but I'm sure she still likes to talk. I looked at Atticus and Maudie, and stopped for a minute. Both of them were terribly injured, and required a doctor. I called for one, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Atticus reach over and grip Maudie's hand. After that, they both passed out cold. Then, I thought of something. If I ran, I could get this story in the newspaper! Now wouldn't that be cool? Getting the dirty secrets of Maycomb's most noble citizen in the paper! I smiled. This was going to be great.


	8. Atticus: Stephanie's House and CPR

Atticus Finch

When I woke up, I was on the floor at Stephanie's house with a blanket thrown lightly across me. What had happened? Oh yeah. I was almost hit by a rare automobile, but Maudie pushed me away and I landed on the street. Maudie…How was she? What happened to her? Where was she? I tried to ask Stephanie, but my voice faltered and no sound came out. I sat up a little bit, and saw Maudie asleep on the couch above me. I remembered last night's events. Maudie saved my life and nearly lost her own, Stephanie came to our rescue, and one more thing. Oh, yeah! I held her hand and she didn't pull away. In fact, she smiled. Maybe Scout and Dill were right. Maybe we could be in love. I pulled myself to my feet and looked around. It was a nice house, but it was really gaudy. There were little trinkets all over the place and most of them resembled kittens or teapots. It was very amusing. I laughed when I thought about how Maudie would react to this décor. She would not ever be able to live here. I walked over to where Maudie was lying. She was very pale, and when she breathed she winced in pain. While I was staring at Maudie, Stephanie walked up behind me and jabbed my shoulder. I jumped, and she laughed.

"So, Atticus." She crooned. "What were you doing last night that landed you in a ditch with Maudie?"

"I'm not sure, but is she okay?" I asked with urgency.

"Oh, she'll be fine. Now answer my question!"

"Well, I was going over to tell her something-"

"What was that?" She interrupted.

"It was about Dill and Scout. And it's none of your business."

"What's going on between the two of you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the whole town knows you two're in love. I put it in the newspaper last night."

"YOU WHAT?"

"Well, I thought the whole town would like to know what our home hero was doing last night."

"What did you say?" Before she could answer, Maudie stirred. I was at her side in a flash. She had finally woken up, but it obviously hurt her to breathe and she was struggling. Then, the breathing suddenly stopped.

"Stephanie! Where's the doctor!" I yelled in a panic.

"He went to Montgomery at about 6:00 this morning. Why?"

"Maudie isn't breathing!" I nearly screamed at her. She paused for a minute, then said,

"You're going to have to give her CPR."

"WHAT?"

"Now! She'll die!" Well, I guess I had to do it. Right now. I slowly moved toward Maudie and pressed down on her chest a few times. When she failed to keep breathing, I looked to Stephanie in fear. She confirmed what I was trying to avoid this whole time. She said that I had to give Maudie mouth to mouth. I leaned down again and opened her mouth, pressed mine to it, and blew. I did a few more chest compressions and one more blow, and she started to breathe faintly. As we waited, her breathing grew steadier and stronger until she was breathing normally again. About an hour later, she woke up, but she still could hardly move, as hard as she tried. I looked out the window and saw Jem kissing May, an African American girl from Cal's church. I laughed. Maybe Maycomb would accept integration. Or Alexandra would disinherit my son. As I thought, I heard Maudie trying to speak. I ran over to the couch, and figured out that she was whispering my name. I smiled.

"Atticus?" She whispered. "When can I leave?" I laughed.

"Stephanie told me the doctor says that you can't leave because you live alone and nobody can help you if you need anything or call a doctor if something happens."

"Come with me." I went to say goodbye and thanks to Stephanie, helped Maudie to her feet, and walked her home. She had been changed into one of Stephanie's dresses, and I must say it was a bit too low for Maudie's liking. The whole way home she complained about it. I left her at her house, ran home to tell the kids what happened, grabbed some clothing, and ran back. I did not fail to notice that Dill Harris was still there with Scout. I had forgotten to tell Maudie about his little escapade. Whoops. I ran back to her house, saw her asleep in her bed, and I fell asleep quickly on the couch.


	9. Maudie: Home Again

Maudie Atkinson

I woke up in my bed in the ugliest dress I had ever seen. In fact, I had seen it before, but where? Oh yeah! It was Stephanie's dress. Why was I wearing it, though? How did I get here? Last I remember, I was laying on the side of the road after being hit by a car while trying to rescue Atticus. Memories flooded back to me. A screeching crash, a terrible pain in my side, Atticus lying on the side of the road, holding my hand, everything went black for a while after that. Then, I woke up slightly and Atticus's mouth was pressed against mine, a period of weakness, Stephanie Crawford, and Atticus walking me home. I backtracked. Why had Atticus Finch done whatever he did with my mouth and his while I was unconscious? Either he really loved me a lot and didn't care what Stephanie thought, or he had to give me CPR. It was most likely the second. I sighed, and a sharp pain hit my chest. I yelped. In an instant, Atticus was at my side.

"Why are you here?" I asked. He didn't hear me, or he just didn't care right now.

"Are you alright? What's wrong? Can I help you? Can you breathe?" Wow, he was stressed. And he was still in his vest and button down shirt from two days ago when I saw him.

"I'm fine, Atticus. How are you?"

"Not as bad as you are."

"What happened after the crash?"

"Well…we both went unconscious, Stephanie Crawford picked us up, we stayed at her house overnight, me on the floor, you on the couch, I woke up, she gave you that dress, and you woke up." He blushed at the end of this statement.

"But, I'm confused. I clearly remember waking up with your face very close to mine."

"Well, Stephanie made me give you mouth to mouth CPR. It saved your life." He blushed again. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. What happened to me? Like, besides the obvious."

"Well, you have two broken ribs and a badly sprained ankle. The doctor said that you need a lot of rest and I have to stay with you because you might stop breathing again."

"What about you?"

"Me? I just have a few slices on my back and a minor concussion."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes? What is it, Maudie?" I was surprised to see that he looked a little worried.

"I also remember you holding my hand before we went unconscious." He really blushed this time.

"Uh, yeah. I…about that…" He stuttered, all of his speaking abilities lost.

"I'm not crazy, am I? That really happened?"

"Yup." He turned away. "Well, this is awkward."

"What did Stephanie say about this little adventure?"

"I don't know. Let's go check the newspaper."

"NEWSPAPER? Atticus, what is going on?" He was already out the door before I finished my question. I heard him run down the stairs, burst through the door, a moment of silence, he opened the door slammed it shut, ran back up the stairs, and sat down on my bed. As he ripped open the newspaper, I thought about it. What could it possibly say that could harm our reputations? We were two of the most respected citizens in Maycomb! Then, Atticus groaned and shoved the newspaper towards me. He walked over and sat at the desk and put his face in his hands. I picked it up and started to read.

"Scandalous Romance Between Neighbors!" the headline said. Oh, gosh this is terrible. "Noble Atticus Finch and Neighbor Maudie Atkinson Unconscious Holding Hands In Street! Read article to find out more." I was about to read the article when Atticus interrupted.

"Please don't read it out loud." He sounded exasperated. "What are we going to do now?"

"Just ignore them. It'll all pass over soon enough." As I said this, there was a knock at the door. Atticus ran downstairs to answer it because I was stuck in bed. I really hated this. What was going to happen to my flowers? I listened to Atticus talking.

"Hello. Can I help you?" He asked the visitor. A female voice answered.

"Oh, are you Atticus Finch, Maudie Atkinson's new…" She giggled. "boyfriend?" She giggled again. I hated her already. By knowing Atticus, he hated her too, but he would be too noble to let it show at first.

"No, ma'am. Well, yes, I'm Atticus, but I'm just her neighbor."

"That's not what the paper said."

"I know, ma'am. The paper is not telling the truth." His voice was getting colder by the second. "Now can I help you?"

"Can you tell Maudie that her flowers are bothering me? I don't like them, and I can see them from my window at my house." His response was bitterly cold this time.

"Really? Well, she loves those flowers and so do I and the rest of the town, so none of them are leaving. You, ma'am, can move back to where you were if Maycomb bothers you." Take that, lousy flower-hater.

"But…"

"Good day, madam."

"I wouldn't want to keep you from continuing your love affair with her." Her voice was almost as bitter as Atticus's. I waited in anticipation for his response. This would be good.

"I said good day. I do not want to have to get Officer Heck Tate out here to remove you from Maudie's front steps, but if you continue to stand here, I must. Now leave here, please." I guess she left, because I heard Atticus slam the door and storm up the stairs. In spite of what just happened, I laughed.

"Somebody has a problem with my flowers?"

"Yeah."

"Who could that be?"

"Miss Allie Cochrane, the lady that moved in two doors down from me. She lives with her sister, Brittany Coates? Cal tried to bring a cake over to them, but they wouldn't take it because she was African American." He made a face, and I laughed at him. "What?"

"Nothing. So my flowers are as nice as ever?"

"Yes, but they'll run out of water soon."

"Please let me go down and see?"

"No. You need to stay inside."

"But what about my flowers?"

"I'll find somebody to water them."

"Promise?" He smiled.

"Yes, I promise." Standing next to my window, I watched him walk outside, go right over to where Jem and May were sitting holding hands under the big oak tree, and sit down next to his son. It seemed that everybody in Maycomb was in love but us. Oh, well. When he got up, Jem and May followed him. May grabbed a watering can, Jem grabbed some gloves to pull weeds, and they both got to work. Atticus bounded back up the stairs.

"I told you I would find somebody to take care of your flowers." He told me, smiling. I love it when he smiles. It makes his awesome blue-gray eyes light up and turn a light shade of blue…

"Hello? Maudie? Are you alright?" His worried voice broke through my daydream.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." I felt really lightheaded for a minute and couldn't hold myself up anymore. I fell, and strong arms caught me. I looked up and saw that Atticus had caught me and was really scared. I could barely keep my eyes open. I fell into unconsciousness again, but only for a few minutes. I woke up in Atticus's arms with him and Cal looking at me.

"She needs a doctor, sir."

"The doctor's in Montgomery, Cal. Won't be back for a week."

"But sir, she can't be alone for more than an hour or stand up for more than twenty minutes without passing out."

"Well, what are our choices?"

"Drugs, but I don't recommend that, shipping her off to see a doctor, which would be very difficult if anything happened while she was on the train, she stays with another neighbor, and we all know what trouble that would cause with the paper and all, or you stay with her. That's what I would do."

"Well, I have to do that then. Make sure you stay with the children and make sure they stay out of trouble, Cal! Thank you!"

"Bye, Cal." I whispered. Atticus looked at me and carried me upstairs. This was going to be an odd week.


	10. Atticus: Worst Fears Become Reality

Atticus Finch

There was not much I could do for Maudie. I mean, nobody had any idea what was going on or how to treat it. All I could do was stay at her side, and that's what I did because no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, I always loved her as more than a friend. I could never tell her, although I was pretty sure she felt the same way. As a lawyer, I could tell what people think by looking at their faces, and there was love among the pain in hers. I liked being here with Maudie, but I worried about what was going to happen tonight, seeing as she could not be alone for so long. There was also the crazy sexual tension while awkward topics appeared in our conversation, especially one involving a certain newspaper with one pretty graphic article about Stephanie Crawford's version of events. Earlier today, Cal came over and Maudie passed out in my arms. That was really awkward. Then, Cal told me that I had to stay with Maudie all of the time. She said that even a few hours apart could be deadly for Maudie if she goes unconscious again or stops breathing like she did at Stephanie's house. Well, it was finally time to make sleeping arrangements.

"Well, you sleep in your bed, and I'll….I'll sleep…in the chair at your desk." I said, looking around the room for a decent place to get some sleep.

"Atticus, that's nonsense." She said, moving over to make room. "You will never get any sleep in that rickety old wooden chair over there. Just come on." I looked at her. I was just thinking about the sexual tension earlier. Well, this was really one of those awkward moments. She must be joking. She really can't be serious. No.

"Are you really sure? I mean, won't it be really awkward?"

"Atticus, come on. We're both mature adults. Nothing will happen." I could clearly see in her eyes that she really didn't believe that; she was a smart woman. Both of us knew that if anything happened, we would both be in a lot of trouble. I remembered what Scout and Dill had said about us and a baby. Oh gosh, if that came true…No. It couldn't. It wouldn't. Would it? For once, I was at a loss for words. Maudie got up and tried to walk over to me, but she had never picked up Stephanie's dress after she had changed into one of her own dresses. She tripped and crashed into me. She stared at me for a minute, then kissed me and it caught me off guard. I had no idea what to do, but then I realized that I should kiss her back. I did, with as much passion as she was. We fell back onto her bed, and our worst fears from earlier that night unraveled. We fell asleep together.

When I woke up, I was in Maudie's bed pressed against her with my fingers tangled in her auburn hair. Oh, what was I going to do? How did I let myself get caught up in this? I was dreading the moment she woke up, but that moment came within ten minutes. Her blue eyes blinked open and she looked confused for a few seconds before looking up and smiling at me. I smiled back, wondering what she would do.

"Well, uh, are you alright?" I asked her.

"I guess. You?" She flashed another smile at me.

"I'm not the one with two broken ribs." I reminded her.

"Do you know what the symptoms are of my disease?" I was really concerned. Why was she asking? Was something wrong? If it's my fault…I don't know what would happen.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." She was so stubborn sometimes.

"Maudie?" I said sternly. I really had to know what was wrong if I was going to help.

"Is nausea a symptom?" Oh no. I think Cal had said nausea was a symptom, but it was also one of something else that was now a possibility. If that was true…No. It can't be. She turned an ashen shade and I ran to get her a glass of water. When I came back, she was kneeling in her bathroom crying.

"I hate this disease. So I guess it is a symptom?" She looked really pathetic, I almost cried for her. If it weren't for the current circumstance, I would have kissed her. Right now, I had to make a phone call. I gave Maudie a quick hug and ran downstairs to her telephone. This was a very important call.

"Eula May? Yes, this is Atticus Finch. I need you to connect me to my house. It's a long story. Thanks."

"Hello, this is Calpurnia, you've reached the Finches! Who is this?"

"Cal? It's Atticus. I need you to come over now."

"Is Maudie alright?"

"I don't know. Is nausea one of her symptoms?"

"No, it's not. Atticus, sir, what's wrong?"

"I think I know, but I'm not sure. You have to come over now!"

"What about the children, sir?" Oh, gosh. I had forgotten about them!

"Oh yeah. Run them over to Rachel's. We really need you."

"Alright. Just calm down, sir. It will be okay."

"Eh, I don't know about that."

"I'll be right over." She hung up her phone. My suspicions had to be false. They just had to be. This had to be the time that I'm wrong. It has to be. Because if I'm right…I can't be. That would be bad. I ran back upstairs and helped Maudie back to bed.

"Maudie, I have to tell you something. Nausea is not a symptom of your disease. "

"Then I must have caught a cold, or stomach flu, or something like that." She drank her water, brushed her teeth, and kissed my cheek. I told her that Cal was coming over, and she asked me if we had to tell her what happened. I said that that would probably not have to happen, but if she asked we had to tell the truth. "If Stephanie hears about this, we move to Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Deal?"

"No, I don't think we can run away to Pennsylvania."

"Why not? I mean, we can take Scout and Jem with us. I'm sure Rachel would let us have Dill. Come on!"

"Cal will be here soon. We are not running away. This may be cliché, but I will not allow it to go that far."

"I'll go get ready." She left, and I went to go get changed into some better clothes. I didn't want to be the one that gave away the secret that we shared. I heard a knock at the door, and let Cal in. I told her what happened, well, not all of it, only what happened after we woke up. She eyed me suspiciously, not believing I was telling the whole story, and I ran upstairs to get Maudie. She was sick again. She stood up when she heard me coming, but it was too fast and she nearly passed out again. For the third time that week, she fell into my arms. I helped her up, looking her over.

"Your skirt's on backwards."

"Oh, thanks. I'll go fix it." She said sarcastically.

"Are you alright?" She looked crestfallen.

"No. Is Cal here yet ? I really want to know what's going on."

"Yeah. She's down in the kitchen. Let's go."

"Wait!" She yelled. I looked at her, somewhat ready to catch her again. "I have to fix my skirt." I smirked and told her to hurry up or Cal would leave or die of boredom before we got down there. She did, and we went downstairs. Cal was sitting at the table and knitting.

"Sorry we took so long. My skirt was on backwards." Maudie told her, glaring at me. I smiled. Cal turned to Maudie, examining her thoroughly. She seemed satisfied after a period of awkward silence. Cal put her arm around Maudie's back, causing her to wince from her broken ribs, and led her into the dining room. They closed the door so I couldn't hear or see. After what seemed like hours of sitting and reading the cursed newspaper, I heard Maudie scream and Cal laugh. I was really curious and worried, so I asked what happened. Cal said that it was okay, so I sat back down. After more laughter from Cal and the sound of Maudie sobbing made me get up and walk over to the dining room door. I knocked a few times, got no answer, tried again, and still got no answer. I got really scared then. If something happened to Maudie...I heard more sobs, Maudie getting sick, Cal laughing, Maudie crying again, and more laughter. I knocked one more time, and got no answer, so I did the only thing I could think of. I barged in, waiting to see the worst. Instead, Cal was sitting in one of the chairs around the table laughing like crazy and Maudie was curled up on the floor crying.

"Maudie, what happened? What's wrong?"

"Atticus…" She broke into tears again and collapsed. I bent down next to her, whispering comforting words to her, and she laid her head in my lap.

"Cal, what's wrong? What happened to her?" Cal laughed and Maudie kept crying.

"She will have to tell you this one, sir." Was it me, or did the look she gave Maudie seem like jealousy? Well, I'll deal with that later. That could wait. Right now, I needed to know what was going on with Maudie and why she was crying like that. She's a really strong woman. Nothing could make Maudie Atkinson cry. Nothing.

"Cal, please…She can't tell me right now. Just tell me." Cal didn't tell me. Instead, she left the house.

"Maudie, tell me. I need to know what's wrong if I'm going to be able to help. I pulled her into a hug, but she pulled away, with a really guilty look on her face. I smiled at her, but she didn't smile back. "Maudie."

"Atticus, I'm pregnant. I'm having a baby." She buried her face in her hands and I turned pale. A baby. No, it can't be. I grabbed her dress and pulled her into me. She hit my chest with a thud, and she shrank back in pain. Everything would be okay for now, but what will we do later, when she can't hide it? This will be difficult.


End file.
